


kingdom in a car lot

by freedomatsea



Series: a messy situation [8]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Is this an intervention?, Light Angst, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 11:45:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomatsea/pseuds/freedomatsea
Summary: Part 8 of 'a messy situation'. Beth picks up the slack by flipping the game while Rio is incapacitated, leaving hard feelings with the girls.





	kingdom in a car lot

Beth was sitting at the foot of the bed when Rio ambled back into the bedroom from taking a shower. His towel was slung low around his hips, showcasing just he messed up he was. His chest was a watercolor of bruises, some so dark they looked black and others a cringeworthy shade of burgundy. You could pinpoint each, precise kick of a steel-toed boot had struck. He really was lucky that they hadn’t done more damage, and if they had — he’d made it through the worst of it. 

“ _ Hey _ .” Rio drawled out as he swept his fingers through his wet hair, which had had the chance to grow out a little in the past two weeks. Not a lot, but enough to reaffirm that he worked at keeping it short. “What’s that look about?”

Beth stared at him longer, before she spoke. “Dean still won’t sign the papers. The dealership’s going under. He says he doesn’t want the added stress of divorce.”

Rio’s jaw tightened. “That’s some bullshit. After that stunt you pulled at the school? Man, you made his ass look  _ bad _ . He still got the balls to pull this shit?”

“It’s not just that,” Beth looked down at her hands in her lap. “I flipped the game. Washing it through the usual channels wasn’t going to work. The stores are starting to notice trends. Change return policies.” 

“What’d you do?” Rio questioned, his brow arching upwards as he stepped towards the bed. 

“I used the money to buy new cars for the lot. More precisely  _ Dean _ used the money to buy them.” Beth shifted awkwardly under his silent stare. “I’ve got JR and Aaron at the lot working with the mechanics. Dean doesn’t know they’re  _ our _ guys. They’re keeping an eye on things.”

“How long?” Rio questioned, his expression unreadable.

Beth held his gaze. “Saturday after you got hurt.”

“Damn, mama. You wasted no time.” Rio’s shoulders relaxed subtly. Beth wasn’t sure if it was because he was actually relaxed or because he was in too much pain to hold himself so rigidly. 

“I saw that something had to change.” Beth drew out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t take the chance that Dean might go to Turner. He’s making money again. He’ll shut up for a little while.”

“But he won’t divorce you.”

“It’s just a fucking piece of  _ paper _ , Rio.” Beth rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

Rio looked towards the window then and sniffed, rolling his shoulders. “Nah. You’re right. It don’t matter.”

Beth’s brows knit together at how quickly he relented. She studied him as he turned around, moving over the wardrobe drawer she’d given him to store his boxers and tees. “You trust me, don’t you?” She questioned. 

Rio had one leg into his boxers and he turned around to look at her. “I do.”

“You’re just gonna have to trust that I know what I’m doing. Your kingdom will still be there when you return.” 

“Why’s he got to be involved?”

Beth slipped off the bed and walked towards him, closing the distance between the two of them. “Because I’m covering our asses. He’s involved now. He’s not going to start running his mouth because his palms are getting padded.”

Rio huffed. “Bet he thinks he’s gonna get  _ more  _ outta this.”

Beth cupped his cheek gingerly, not wanting to press too much on the bruised skin. His black eyes had started to fade, but his cheeks and mouth were still horribly bruised. “Stop it.” She warned. 

He leaned into her touch. “It’s  _ bullshit _ .”

“Trust me.” Beth gritted out, leaning up to press her lips to his. She gasped at the intensity of the kiss he met her with. His hand gripping at her waist. 

She let Rio guide the kiss, let his hands skim over her curves, draw her closer. In the past two weeks she had tried to maintain the control, not wanting him to push himself too far. He was hurt and the  _ last _ thing he needed to think about was fucking her. 

Beth slipped her hand between them, curling her fingers around his hardening erection. “Is this what you need,  _ baby _ ?” She questioned against his lips as she dragged her hand over the length of him. 

“I need  _ you _ .” Rio urged, grabbing at her ass, before he claimed her lips again. He was possessive and she knew it. He tried to be subtle about it, but she’d seen that glint in his eyes from the beginning. Since before  _ this _ began. She had seen the way he’d looked at her picture’s with Dean on Kenny’s birthday. 

Rio guided her backwards, until the backs of her legs hit against the edge of the bed. Beth pulled back from the kiss, curling her hand around the back of his neck. “If I have to call Monica because you hurt yourself fucking me…” 

“I’m fine, baby.” Rio assured her as he slipped his hand under her dress and tugged her underwear down her thighs. 

Beth laughed breathlessly as she laid back on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, you  _ look _ fine.” She quipped as she carefully ran her hand over his chest. 

Rio smirked at her as he ran his hand along her inner thigh, fingers brushing over her center. “You want me to stop, baby?” He questioned as he pressed a single digit into her, his thumb barely ghosting over her clit. 

“ _ No _ .” Beth shook her head as she spread her legs wider, hooking one leg around his hip. 

“That’s what I thought,” Rio smirked as he guided his cock to her center,  _ slowly _ pressing into her. “ _ Elizabeth _ .” He groaned, drawing back and pressing back into her again. “So good.” 

Beth leaned up to kiss him, running her hand down the length of his back as she rolled her hips in time with his slow pace. She could feel how tight he was holding himself, he was in pain, but soldering through it. 

Rio palmed her breast through her dress and bra, his other hand clutching at her hip to hold her steady as they moved together. He broke away from the kiss, trailing his lips along her jaw, down her throat. “I’m  _ close _ , baby.” He breathed against her skin.

Beth wedged her hand in between their bodies, stroking at her clit, trying to get herself closer to her release. She knew it would be over, all too soon. Even with his slow, driving pace, he wasn’t going to last much longer. One, two,  _ three _ more thrusts and he went rigid, clutching her hip tightly as his release spilled into her. 

“Fuck.” He grunted, bucking his hips, trying to prolong the moment. Rio pulled back, “We’re outta sync, baby.” 

“It’s okay.” Beth breathed out, sinking back onto the bed as Rio replaced his cock with his fingers. He wasn’t about to let her go without a release. He pressed two fingers into her, hooking them in a  _ come hither _ motion with each retreat. His thumb circled her clit. 

Beth’s fingers clutched at the sheets beneath her, her hips bucking up off the bed as her release took hold of her. “Only a little out of sync.” She remarked as she ran her fingers through her hair. 

Rio wiped his fingers off on the sheets, before moving to lay down on the bed. He grimaced a little, rubbing at his ribs. “And worth the pain.” He quipped. “Get that dress off and get up ‘ere, baby.”   
  
Beth shook her head as she stood and straightened her dress. “I have to go down to the dealership.” She chewed on her bottom lip, lifting her gaze to meet his. “With Ruby and Annie.” 

“They been helping sell cars?” He questioned as he bunched up his pillow beneath his head. 

“Annie is surprisingly good at it.” Beth informed him as she shimmied back into her underwear. 

Rio smirked. “Bet she learned from the best.” 

“You better be talking about me.” Beth grinned at him. “I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“Wanna go out for dinner?” Rio questioned as he propped himself up. 

Her lips twitched upwards at the corners, “It’s a date.” 

* * *

“It’s a classic case of being  _ dickmatized _ .” Annie remarked as she crossed her arms across her chest and gave Beth a look. “Do you see that, Ruby? Do you see how glowy and glassy-eyed she looks?” 

Beth rolled her eyes, “Look, I had to tell Rio that the game had flipped. He’s already up and moving around. We’re days out from him wanting to get involved with whatever we’re up to. It’s still  _ his _ kingdom, after all.” 

Annie made a face and looked out the window towards the car lot. “I dunno, that looks like  _ our _ kingdom out there.”

“Not to be the buzzkill, but it’s still technically  _ Dean’s _ dealership.” 

“Yes, but it’s Rio’s money and my ingenuity. All Dean has to do is sit back in his office and play Solitaire in his computer.”

“Pretty sure Deansie’s looking at porn, but go on.” Annie added. 

“It’s  _ Boland _ Motors and for the time being I’m still Beth Boland.” Beth leaned back in her office chair. “We’re cleaning the money faster than before. The new marketing approach has really been moving the cars off the lot.”

Ruby and Annie exchanged looks. “It’s not just the  _ marketing  _ moving the cars, Annie and I have been working our tails off.” Ruby stated. 

“We want a higher cut.”

Beth frowned. “I’m  _ only _ getting fifteen.” She looked between them. “I’m confused. You’re both getting twenty, Dean’s getting twenty… the dealership is keeping ten.”

“Come on, Beth. You’re giving Rio fifteen and he’s not even involved.” Annie narrowed her eyes. “You’re basically getting thirty to sit there and do nothing.”

“I’m  _ only  _ getting fifteen percent. It’s Rio’s money… of course he’s going to get a cut.”

“But he left the kingdom in  _ your _ hands, Beth. So why aren’t you cutting up his part?”

“Like, I’m  _ good _ with twenty,” Ruby said cautiously, “But I’m not good with you holding out on us.”

“I’m not holding out on you!” Beth couldn’t even believe what she was hearing. “This is insane.”

“I’m just saying,” Annie started. “You and Rio are a  _ thing _ , which means whatever your take is, it’s a joint thing.”

Beth stared at her sister, “Why are you doing this?”

“Because Ruby and I are the boots on the ground here, doing the hard work. We deserve a fair cut.”

“It’s not  _ war _ , Annie.” Beth laughed bitterly. “If you sell a forty thousand dollar van, you take home  _ eight _ grand.” 

“Again, I am  _ happy _ with twenty percent,” Ruby stated, holding up her hands. “But, we ran the numbers. You’re taking home six grand off our sales and Rio’s taking home six grand off our sales. That’s  _ twelve _ thousand dollars.”

Beth felt her chest starting to speckle, the warmth of a flush spreading to her cheeks. “But that’s not what’s happening. His money is  _ his _ money.”

Annie narrowed her eyes. “Just like he left  _ you _ with the sole key to his money? You’re good at lying Beth, you always have been. But you can’t honestly believe that we’d let this slide.”

Beth stiffened. “I’m not lying.”

“You’re  _ dickmatized _ .” Annie pursed her lips. “Come on, Beth. Rio’s basically living at your house at this point.”

“He’s injured!”

“And he showed up at  _ what _ ? Two in the morning? With the shit beat out of him and that didn’t faze you? You’re his flop house.” Annie just shook her head. “You’ve been so deep in this shit since the beginning.”

“I’m  _ happy  _ with twenty percent.” Ruby reminded them both. 

Beth let out an incredulous laugh. “And you’ve been benefiting from it!”

“How did you even get back into the game? Remember when you pulled us right back into it?”

Beth pressed her lips together, flinching at the glare Annie was digging into her with. “I left my pearls at the warehouse. We met and discussed what more I could do.”

“That’s right. What more  _ you  _ could do.” Annie snapped. 

Beth looked out the window, trying to keep her expression tight. “He saw the potential in me, Annie. You can’t blame me for  _ enjoying _ that. You know exactly how Dean is. It’s nice to have my abilities validated, not belittled.” 

Annie sighed heavily. “It’s a midlife crisis.”

“Maybe it is.” Beth shrugged her shoulders, defeated. “Trust me, the thought  _ has _ crossed my mind.”

Ruby cleared her throat. “But a midlife crisis doesn’t invalidate how you feel. This isn’t an intervention, despite how it looks.”

Beth shook her head. “I don’t know what you want me to say? I’ve gone into this with my eyes wide open. Could Rio be using me?  _ Possibly _ . He’s extended a tremendous amount of himself, if that’s his endgame. Honestly? I think you’re just jealous he didn’t favor you.”

Annie laughed brashly. “Oh, please!”

“I mean, the man’s a snack.” Ruby shrugged. “I think what Annie is trying to get at… we’re concerned. You’re digging in deeper into this life.”

“You’ve got his guys on  _ your  _ payroll!” Annie exclaimed. “Dean might be too stupid to realize that Aaron and JR aren’t mechanics, but I recognize them from the warehouse.”

Beth shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “That’s because I’m the boss.” She said easily. “His guys,  _ are _ my guys.”

“You’re in so deep, Beth.” Annie pitched forward in her seat. “And I’m worried.”

“I have everything under control. There’s nothing to worry about.” Beth set her jaw hard, mimicking that way she’d always seen Rio position himself when he was trying to assert himself. Which wasn’t hard for him to do ever. “And your commission is twenty, unless you’d like it to be fifteen instead.”

“I am H-A-P-P-Y with twenty.” Ruby said before Annie could, clapping her hands together. “I have to pick up groceries. So I’m just gonna see myself out.” She grabbed her purse and and waved at them before she left. 

“You’ve changed.” Annie said as she started to stand up. 

“Of course I have.” Beth let out a laugh. “My entire life imploded and I finally have a chance to be the  _ real _ Beth. Not the Beth everyone has wanted me to be. I’m not some piece of dough you get to use your cookie cutter on.” 

“I hope he’s worth it.” Annie said sharply. 

“Oh and Gregg is?”

“We broke up.” She stopped in her tracks. 

“I’m sorry.” Beth said sincerely. 

Annie met her eyes briefly, “Yeah. So am I.” She slipped out the glass door and onto the showfloor, without another word. 

* * *

“I’m not really in the mood to go out tonight.” Beth said as she sat down on the sofa beside Rio. “I have a headache.”

Rio reaches over and squeezed her knee. “You want a bourbon?”

“Yes please.” She nodded her and sank back against the sofa as she kicked her shoes off. Beth watched Rio as he walked out of the family room, still obviously in pain. 

“Trouble in paradise?” Rio questioned as he returned with two glasses of ice and the bottle of bourbon. 

“Annie.” Beth answered and took the glass from him once he poured bourbon into it. “It’s complicated.”

“It about me?” Rio took a sip of his bourbon as he sat back down beside her. 

She gave him a guilty look. “Bingo.”

“What’s her deal?”

Beth downed half of her bourbon and set it on the side table. “She wanted a higher percent.”

“How you got it split?”

“Twenty to both Ruby and Annie. Twenty to Dean to keep him quiet. Ten goes to the dealership. Fifteen to me. Fifteen to you.”

Rio pursed his lips, “Seems reasonable to me. Why’s she want more?”

“ _ Well _ ,” Beth gave him a pointed look. “She’s lumping our cuts together and claiming I’m getting thirty.” She raked her hand over her face. 

“You should be gettin’ sixty percent.” Rio sniffed. “And the three of ‘em should be fighting over the thirty.”

“I can’t do that.” Beth said quickly, shaking her head. “Annie just blindsided me. The audacity to ask for  _ more _ .” She laughed a little, reaching for her drink and taking a sip. “She sold three vans on Saturday.  _ Three _ ! They run around forty grand each. She went home with twenty-four thousand dollars!”

Rio rested his hand on her leg and squeezed it. “It’s part of the gig, babe. You hold your own?”

“I threatened them with fifteen percent.” Beth downed the rest of her bourbon. 

“Damn, mama.” He smirked at her. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about. How’d she take that?”

She shrugged and leaned forward to grab the bottle and refill her glass. “I mean, she’s staying at twenty. But things are strained.” Beth took another sip of her bourbon. It was going down far too easily. “I think she thinks you’re playing me.”

“ _ What _ ?”

“Or I’m playing myself.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Mid life crisis  _ was _ thrown around.”

Rio let out a hiss of air, “That’s bullshit.” He downed the rest of his bourbon and sat the glass down. “You didn’t buy into that, did ya?”

“No.” Beth replied, but she didn’t sound very certain. “I mean, you can’t blame me for humoring the idea that  _ maybe _ this is a midlife crisis.” She took another sip of her drink. “I’m my own worst enemy. They didn’t say anything I hadn’t already thought of.”

“I ain’t playin’ with this, Beth. This shit’s the real deal.” He gestured between the two of them. “I don’t  _ play _ house for shits and giggles.”

“I believe you.” Beth ran her fingers through her hair. “I do. It just threw me off balance.”

“Is it being boss that threw you off?”

She shook her head. “No.” Beth chewed on her bottom lip. “The whole Monica encounter got under my skin.”

“ _ Elizabeth. _ ”

“What?” She snapped. “I can’t help the fact that I feel the way I do. You know? I just looked at her and thought ‘ _ this is the kind of woman Rio should be with _ ’. She’s sporty, petite, beautiful, and a fucking doctor. And what? A year or two younger than you?” Beth downed the last of her bourbon, humoring the idea of following it up with another. 

“Am I with her?” Rio questioned, keeping his voice smooth and calm. “Cause I don’t think I am, am I?”

Beth shook her head slowly. “No.”

“2013 was a shit year for me.” Rio started, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek as he stared straight ahead. “I had a couple guys turn on me and everything almost went under. Had the cops riding my ass. Monica happened to be around and was game to blow off some steam. I’ve known her since we were kids.” He flexed his jaw, his lips drawn into a thin line. “Two months later she hits me up and let’s me know she’s pregnant. We both considered her gettin’ an abortion. She was just wrapping up her residency. We couldn’t do it and that’s how Marcus came to be.”

Beth’s heart clenched at his words. He’d actually opened up to her. 

“She’s been around my whole life. She’s the mother my son. She’s a damn good doctor. But, baby, sometimes it’s just about hittin’ it.” He rubbed at the back of his neck as he turned to look at her. “You got it?”

“Yes.” She said gently. 

“She and I, we’re good. We’ve got the co-parent thing down pat.” Rio leaned forward and poured himself a second glass of bourbon. “You don’t got anything to worry about.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” Beth said genuinely, curling her legs beneath her as she turned to look at him. “That whole morning derailed me.”

“I know sweetheart.” Rio took a sip of his bourbon, before reaching to take her hand, lacing their fingers together. “This shit ain’t easy.”

“I’ll push at Dean to sign the papers. For real this time. No letting him weasel out of it.” Beth squeezed his hand and leaned to rest her head on his shoulder. “Rio?”

“Yea?”

“Do you want more kids?”

Rio presses his lips to the side of her head. “It ain’t somethin’ I think about.” He nudged her side. “D’you want more?”

“I don’t think so.” Beth said honestly. “I finally feel like I have control of my life. I feel like a kid would just strip me of that autonomy.  _ Again _ .”

“Then nah, mama. We got five between us, I think we’ve got our hands full.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Not to mention, you’ve got a whole game goin’.”

“A kingdom in a car lot.”

Rio chuckled. “A kingdom in a car lot.”


End file.
